Mountain Terror
by kanedasajfar
Summary: There was a new terror lurking in the Yukumo mountains. Worst than any other of the crazy monsters the villagers used to know. I met it once, and I had to run, once. This is the story on how I defeated that monster. How I took down Jinouga.


**Mountain Terror**

And there I was, returning from the hunt of an armored crazy bear with a big tongue. From the moment I crossed under the village archway I knew something was up. Everyone seemed so tense and the cats were scattered all over the place going from here to there, closing windows, meowing constant and nonsensically. Walking like if nothing happened, I moved forward to my house and left the hunt of the day in the box. Just when I was to go to the farm for the daily gathering, that crazy gal intercepted me and started talking in their strange language things I could not understand, as usual. Only a few words from all the babbling were clear to me: Monsta', Big Monsta'. By the way she waved her arms and shook her tiny little head I came to understand what she was talking about. Most precisely, which of all those crazy monsters she was describing. I met it before, and kicked my brown ass so bad that I couldn't sleep for a week thinking on how sweet and swift my revenge would be. "I'm ready now you SOB" I said for myself while the Crazy Gal stared at me with that innocent and naïf look on her face. She was kinda cute I admit, but that was no concern on mine at that moment. Revenge was near and glory and fame too!

So I looked at her and with a confident tone I said "Don't you worry your little pretty hair" and moved back to my house. Something on my temple should've let her know that I understood, and her face turned into one of those annoying yellow happy faces you see on some modern tabards. Needless to say, I was as excited as scared, but I always managed to hide the last one into jokes and re-assuring comments about my manhood. That creepy electrified four legged demon was a living piece of art and destruction, and I was about to go and meet it, and meat it!

This time I was ready. This time I had the equipment, the experience and the forged guts to face it, paint it and kill it. No capture for you my friend… hell no. This is to the death.

I took extra precautions though. A full belt of potions and mega potions, my herbal bag filled with mountain herbs and blue mushrooms, and both my cats with the best equipment I could buy. My armor was upgraded, my new chainsaw-like sword was ready, everything was set. I put on my creepy helmet and went out the house. Everyone was there to wave me goodbye. Some faces were skeptic, some other were gleamy and full with hope. The Crazy Gal was there and she gave me the contract ticket. There was no need for it actually. This one was for me, not the town or the money. Well… maybe the money… but I would have done it for nothing if they asked me to.

I took the brook's bridge and went out on the hunt. Back to where it all started.

When I arrived at the mountain stream it all looked quiet… too quiet. A few antekas were roaming with no clear path and the air was thick. I knew where IT would be… it was like a psychic vision, some sort of connection between Jinouga and me. "Near the swamp" I told my companion cats, and even when they were raised using that strange language the villagers spoke, they seemed to understand every word I said to them since the first time I took them into combat. Loyal creatures these cats are, as they are strange and a bit crazy too. So down the hills we all went, in the most absolute silence. We paid no heed to the scattered bullfangos and jaggi which were peacefully eating grass and rotten carrion respectively. Even when some of the jaggi noticed our presence, they continued their chores as if they knew we were there for the big deal and not for them this time.

When we approached the swamp's lake, the silence was almost deafening. Carrie and Origami, my cats, were lurking behind me with all their senses sharp and alert, they were good hunters too. I trained them well. And from behind some swamp lilies there it was, drinking water and staring at the moon from short time lapses. It didn't saw or smelled us yet, so it was at ease. We came even closer with our chins on the mud, as silent and invisible as possible, and the Jinouga began walking away from us. It stopped near the brook's arm and from nowhere it howled at moon with such force than we all had to cover our ears. Only then we noticed how close from it we were, and the Jinouga did noticed that too. As soon as his moon song ended he snarled at us. I think it saw Origami or Carrie first, because its reaction was not so angry as for the moment it saw me. Then the battle began… just when it jumped back at the glance of my sword and armor. The blood rush into my entire system wouldn't let me think on anything else than marking it with a paintball, and without thinking I started running to it with the marker in one hand and when I was at a few steps away I launched the paintball against the monster practically at the same time it ignited its thunder glands with a burst of energy that launched me farther from when my crazy painting run began.

I landed rolling back and jumping back up like I never could manage before just to notice that Carrie and Origami where kamikazing against the Jinouga and hitting it with their weapons. The paintball was a hit, and it was dripping the glowing pink paint all over the floor. Poor cats where launched into the air by a swift tail attack which sparkled thunder all over the swamp shadows and since I saw that attack I already knew where it would land afterwards. In a matter of a split second I ran to the landing location of Jinouga and before it landed I launched a powerful hit of my thunder no-dachi. It landed right in the spot, and I felt the hit as I'm sure the Jinouga did, but suddenly I noticed a big mistake… BIG mistake: I took a thunder weapon to fight against a thunder creature. And right at the moment my own brain told "You stupid noob son of a howling…" I took a big hit on the ribs from the giant and sharp Jinouga paw. Even when I knew the hunt would take me a big deal of difficulty I was in no position to retreat, and less of all after being attacked like that. All my senses where in the hunt now, and my mistake would not stop me from reaching my objective. "You are going down you big electrolyte" I said to myself after coughing a small blood spit when I got up, still holding my thunder no-dachi and drinking my first potion.

So it officially began. I started moving at the sides where it had the blind spot, and after three stomps I took advantage of the pause and started hitting it with all I had. Right before it attacked again I stepped back and dodged another rising tail attack, which I saw Origami took when it was trying to lay a bomb on Jinouga's head, which landed on the floor with no results. Once again I moved forth into the creature's landing spot and began a combo which landed perfectly on Jinouga's chest. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to sidestep after my last attack and I received a fierce heap hit which threw me a few meters away, and right when I was getting up the creature trampled me like an orc on a blood bowl match.

I was at a glimpse of collapsing when I saw Carrie and Origami jumping into the Jinouga attracting its attention to them, which gave me enough time to drink a few potions which automatically sealed my wounds and recovered me. I was not thinking at that moment… maybe for the potions abuse mixed with the adrenaline of the battle, I ran against the monster while it was launching a dual lightning bolt attack against my cats and stroke him with a full raging combination of slice and dice. It damaged it, but my sword lost it sharpness when I crashed the razor's edge on some bony ends of Jinouga's elbows. Anyways I started attacking again but after the first attack a head butt from the creature sent me the hell out of the way and it made me remember why I failed the first time I met it: damn those horns! I had to take them down if I wanted to succeed! Getting up that time was difficult, so I knew I was in trouble and had to retreat for a few minutes before I could continue the fight, so after dodging some fierce attacks and a few lightning bolts I found the brook exit from the swamp and moved back for a temporary shelter.

I don't know how much it took me to recover my breath, eat some vigorizing meat jerky and sharpen my sword again, but I remember the trees splintering over my head with a big kaboom and a gloomy howl from the angry Jinouga. I noticed my cats were not around, so for the time being it was a singles dance between the creature and me. While I was trying to dodge its attacks I drank my last potions and began to search again those pauses between its movements, and with surgeon precision I commenced my counter attacks. Just when I thought I was doing some good damage, the creature when berserk on me and trampled me again. I felt some ribs and random bones cracking beneath my armor while I was bouncing between its legs, but not even pain took me out of focus. I got up and ran against it again and landed another fierce combo, and this time I saw it fall for the first time. Taking advantage of that I landed countless attacks on his belly one after the other, completely blinded by the opportunity of delivering the most damage on its sorry ass. It got up quite fast though, and began to rant and feint back. I got it on the run now! And right when it began to move up the hills, both my cats intercepted it and landed a few hits before it jumped up a risk and moved away.

Even when I was completely battle blinded in mind my body reminded me of the wounds and almost fainted. I took some mega potions which were like a rebirth of life and started trotting into the direction the monster left. My cats were already going there and they sent me one of those looks like saying "Are you ok master?". With a wave of my hand I told them to advance and ignore my panting at the same time I began to mix some herbs with blue mushrooms. I had no time to waste by standing still while the Jinouga was tired and vulnerable, so I did everything while moving.

When I got up in the hills I could see the creature slaying some jaggi which were trying to defend themselves from becoming Jinouga's meal, and I was going to help them! If that monster recovered some of its strength by eating I was doomed! So I ran with all my might against it shouting and cursing to call its attention while my cats sprinted before me. They reached the monster and started attacking, but it was already eating and paid small attention to their attacks, but of course, that changed when I started hitting it. With a piece of jaggi on his mouth, it jumped back groaning and trying to hit us with a tail attack which landed on Origami's head. Right before it could relocate its paws on the ground I was already attacking it again hitting his head horns with all the mighty I could trying to break them. From nowhere, I received a hit which had me kneeling down for a sec and then the Jinouga jumped back again and started making some strange noises like heavy breathing mixed with the rasping of a Flintstone. I saw then those lightbugs I saw the first time I met Jinouga, and they were like filling it with energy again.

The monster absorbed the bugs energy and it was working as a recharge of thunder into it. Then I felt another strike of lighting which froze my left arm… those damn thunder bugs were defending the bloody Jinouga! Carrie started shooing the bugs away, but they swarmed her and started chasing her off. I had to stop that before it was too late, so I took yet another potion and started attacking the recovering Jinouga. Hit after hit the bastard creature almost noticed me. It was like in a kind of trance while the bugs imbued it with their energy… and dying in the process. Anyhow I knew it was my window in order to deliver as much damage as I could so I kept hitting it over and over again until everything became white and remained like that until right after feeling the ground on my back and a rock in my head. The last thing I remember before I fainted was seeing the hideous creature with all its thunder glands operational again, fully recovered but whit noticeable wounds all over his legs and body, walking away from me chasing Carrie which was still having bug problems.

I woke up a few minutes later when Origami threw me a bucket of fresh water from the stream right beside the camping site. They were both staring at me when I got up, grabbed my sword again and ran with determination and quite angry into the wilderness. I tried to search the drops of paintball but I couldn't find the trail anywhere and when I looked into my pouch to grab one and have it ready when I saw that monster again, but just then I noticed my pouch was bottomless… and all its content was lost. I had only my whetstones, two potions and my sword. It was some sort of desperate situation I never imagined to reach… but there I was and far beyond some tree line I knew Jinouga was waiting for me. The bond was still functional… I felt it breathing… I knew it was there… so the hunt was not over yet.

We walked randomly around the known areas where the Jinouga was sighted, and we found it after a few minutes lurking among the abandoned buildings of some old village. Some bullfangos were there too, but it seemed Jinouga was not hunger anymore and the pigs where not worried about its presence. From the distance I saw the wounds I inflicted, they were fresh alright and the Jinouga was licking them from time to time. We crawled again to get close enough for the monster and the bullfangos to not notice us, but luck wasn't with us at all. A bullfango smelled us and grunted shortly to let the others know of our presence and Jinouga heard the pig too. As my first paint shot without thinking, Jinouga acted on instinct and attacked on the direction the pigs were looking, and successfully trampled us once more leaving us all scattered in the mud. On his super fast attack it trampled one of the abandoned houses too, so I ended up all covered in putrefied and splintered wood and ropes. When I got up I had to dodge three stomps with electrifying thunders from the monster's paws and after those then came the pause, that small window in which my strikes landed again continuing the battle against that beast which became the most fearsome foe I encountered since I arrived at Yukumo.

Strikes came and go, and the time kept passing. Morning was coming and I knew that if the sun rose up Jinouga would be gone. The fight continued and I've encountered myself tired, hurt, with both my cats out of combat and an angry monster still fighting for more. But I kept pushing, swirling my sword with random precision due to the tiredness. Strikes kept falling on Jinouga until one lucky strike landed on its horn crack and with an awful and high pitched screech Jinouga felt back, screaming in pain and anger. With a gleaming predisposition, my whole body rolled forth and continued attacking. It was my moment. Jinouga was tired again, and this time deeply hurt at last. I had no potions, no herbs, no more rations, I was tired and bruised. My hands were shaking and my vision was blurry, but on that strike I've sent all I had. And it was a good strike since I made it fall once again. Hit after hit I could hear Jinouga's pain in form of banshee-like screams. But I was too tired to see its desperation strike coming in the form of a spiked tail which knocked me down for a second time.

When I woke up again, I was in the same spot with both my cats fanning me to give me air. Origami pointed on the direction Jinouga left as soon as I got up, and that direction was up in the mountains towards the cave where wyverns rested. It was almost daybreak, so gathering strength from somewhere deep into my soul, I picked up my sword again and walked up the hill. If Jinouga rested at least for a while I would surely lose the battle, and I reached too far in order to let it defeat me like that.

I stepped into the cave and the first thing I saw were a few jaggi lying over the rocky floor, or at least, what's left of them… and walking with difficulty towards the north exit of the cave there it was again, without its thunder, without its majestic appearance, running to hide and recover, Jinouga, The Mountain Terror. I unsheathed my no-dachi and ran towards it while it yelled at me and got in fighting position again. But when I was a few meters from it, it jumped back out of the cave. I followed it still yelling berserkly and landed a few hits on its back. By its reaction I knew my attacks were strong enough to hurt it, but as myself, Jinouga still had something to give, and his bare paw stroke my head swiftly and I felt against the rocks again. Even when the hit was not that hard it shook me up quite harsh, and I saw between a red curtain of pain that Jinouga was about to jump down the hills in order to make a last run to escape. "You're not going anywhere!" I yelled and right when it let itself go from the risk ledge I grabbed its tail and felt with it. The surprise made it lose its balance and we both felt like a rock down to the brook stream.

Jinouga got up faster than I and tried to stomp me with both of its front paws, but some portion of my reflexes still active ordered my body to roll left and avoided the deadly strike. A tail attack followed which I also managed to avoid and with the momentum of my roll forward I stroke Jinouga one last time…

It was all over by the moment the sun broke the shadows of dusk. I was lying besides the dead monster when Carrie and Origami arrived and started prancing all around me. The hunt was over and Yukumo would be waiting for me as a hero. Jinouga was a fair and worthy adversary which fought till the end like a real beast, just like I did. When I saw it lying there I finally understood why the hunt is so important and realized we are all hunters. The beasts and ourselves, Beasts and Hunters alike. We are both hunting each other and praying each other, testing our skills and guts at every moment. I had to reach the hell of a fight against a beast like this to understand that, and no reward would match that feeling of self achievement. But then again, fame and glory where right at the corner now. The thing is… I was too tired to enjoy it.

So I laid down there in the stream for a while, while my faithful companions prepared the cart to take Jinouga back to town where cheers and cakes and music with fireworks where surely waiting for me. And I stood at the clouds, the sky at the morning light. There was nothing more rewarding than that.

The End.


End file.
